LEGACY ─ marvel

XXIX. Returned

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Soroya

I force my weak legs to run faster, despite how much my muscles are screaming for me to slow down, to stop altogether. I haven't slept in so many days, haven't eaten since the Savage had control over my body, my knife wound is causing searing pain to shoot up my leg, making me whimper with every step. The chains are so heavy, so tight, I feel them digging into my skin. So much so, I think my wrists and ankles are bleeding. I glance down and find that to be the case. Alex is doing just as well as I am, his own chains making him bleed as well. But he's just as determined as I am, just as driven. We both work through the pain, we work through the exhaustion, we both focus on our destination. That's the only thing that matters.

We round another corner, making me let out a groan of pain as I twist my leg to make the turn. But any thought of the pain completely flies from my mind as I set eyes on them. An unexpected sob wracks my chest, and I force my legs to move faster, as fast as the chains will allow me to run. Bucky's there, so are my kids, my niece, my nephew, my friends. They're all right there, right within reach. The moment Bucky recognizes me he makes a run for me, moving considerably faster than I am. Within seconds he's here, crashing against me, the impact nearly knocking me over. Before I can though, his arms secure tightly around my waist, holding my against him, his cries bellowing in my ear. My kids reach me a second after Bucky does, hugging onto me just as tightly as Bucky.

As much as I want to hug all of them back I can't, the chains won't allow me to. I let out a moan of pain, which makes all three of them back away, assessing the source of my distress. I think they were so relieved to see me they hadn't noticed the chains, the blood, the muzzle on my face. Livy and Stevie are both silently crying, shock and disgust written on their faces as they see what happened to me in the days since we last saw each other. Jo, Zy, Jade, and Sam look just as distressed, especially Jo, who looks utterly devastated.

Alex reaches for Jo, but after taking one more step he collapses to the ground, letting out a sharp yell as blood gushes from his ankle. The chains have rubbed his skin raw, mine as well. It feels like my skin is on fire. Seeing Alex struggle to get up, seeing the blood drip from his chains and mine, realizing we can't hug our family...it becomes too much. I slump down to my knees, which only makes my pain worse, but I don't care. I claw at my chains, pulling at them as hard as I can, biting my lip to keep back my screams. No matter how hard I pull though, they won't come off. They won't come off. I pull even harder, digging my teeth into my lip so hard I draw blood, but still they won't budge. I let out a frustrated groan and try to get the muzzle off, but I can't reach it, my chains are preventing me. I try again but it's no use.

I feel my sobs come out quicker, my breathing grow more rapid. I look back up at Bucky, finding agony so deep, so true, that it only makes me sob harder.

"Take it off," I say, my voice low, unrecognizable. "Please, please take it off. Take it off."

Bucky nods, reaching down and grabbing onto the chains, pulling on them as hard as he can, but they won't budge, and his pulling makes them dig even deeper into my skin, blood now dripping faster from my wrists and ankles. Him not being able to get them off makes my sobs come out raspy, my lungs gasping for air.

"Get them off, get them off. Please, take them off. Just get them off." I say through jagged breaths, through my flood of tears, through my sharp breaths.

A boy I don't recognize steps forward, looking around Livy and Stevie's age. He gets down onto one knee and extends a hand out towards me, a couple small vines extending from his pocket. The vines twist downwards and enter the lock on my right wrist, wiggling around a few seconds until the lock opens, allowing my arm to go free. He does this for my left wrist, then my two ankles, and finally my muzzle. He moves towards Alex and frees him as well, before stepping back, standing just behind Stevie.